In recent years, automated hay baling equipment has been employed to form and bind bales of hay in a cylindrical or round shape. Such bales are relatively large and heavy, ranging in diameter from 4 feet to 8 feet and weighing anywhere from 800 lbs. to approximately 1500 lbs. These bales possess significant advantages over the more conventional rectangular-shaped bales. For example, a large, round or cylindrical hay bale may be the equivalent of at least 20 regular rectangular bales. Further, cylindrical bales can be stored outside for a prolonged period, if necessary, without suffering adverse consequences. Due to their round formation, these bales shed water, and as such, do not rot as rectangular bales do when left in the field. Generally, these round bales, after they are formed in the field, are left lying on their sides on the ground and subsequently, must be picked up and hauled away for storage and livestock feedings. Because of their overburdening size, however they are too large and heavy for being handled manually and typically require machine handling.
The agricultural art is replete with various types of powered equipment for handling and transporting round or cylindrical bales. Most of this equipment is characterized by a towing vehicle having a boom assembly comprising a pair of elongated bale-engaging booms supported on ground engaging wheels. The forward and rearward ends of the booms are hydraulically lowered with respect to the wheels and with respect to the ground so that the towing vehicle can be moved to back the rearward end of the booms along two sides of the cylindrical hay bale and under the curved sides thereof while the bale is resting on the ground, and whereby the booms can be hydraulically raised with respect to the ground and the wheels, so as to support the bale on the booms while being transported by the carrier. Each cylindrical bale is supported on the booms until the full capacity of the carrier is reached, at which time the towing vehicle may be driven to a place of discharge of the cylindrical bales and the booms may be hydraulically lowered and the vehicle pulled away from the cylindrical bales, leaving the bale disposed on the surface of the ground at a storage site. Carriers of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,790 issued May 27, 1930 to Baxter, U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,898 issued May 12, 1981 to Jacobsen, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,196 issued Mar. 24, 1987 to Woerman, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,304 issued Dec. 10, 1991 to Godfrey.
Prior art bale lifting and transporting apparatus has been somewhat dependent on designs of certain telescopic lifting assemblies, location of pivot points for bale engaging members, and the control of hydraulic fluid used in certain hydraulic cylinders to actuate various carrier elements. Additional techniques for automatically manipulating and conveying selected bales beyond the realm of conventional agricultural trailer arrangements need to be considered.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved bale handling carrier having a simplified bale engaging arrangement which will ensure continuous, even, and safe loading and unloading of bales, irregardless of size or condition.